Securing device for the closures of pails, &amp;c.



J. H.-BERRY SECURING DEVICE FOR THE CLOSURES 0F PAILS, 54c.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9, 1914.

l, 168, 148. Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

2 SHEET$-SHEET l.

J. H. BERRY.

SECURING DEVICE FOR THE CLOSURES 0F FAILS, m.

Patented Jan. 11,-1916.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

' I being so mutilated tha e idence at its :e-

I adapted to JESSE H. BERRY, 0F BOSTON, ll'IASSACI-IUSETTS.

SECURING DEVICE FOR. THE GLOSURES OF FAILS, 86C.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 11,1916.

Application filed March 9, 1914. Serial No. 823,571.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JEssE H. BERRY, citizen of the United States, residing at Winter Hill Station, Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Securing Devices for the Closures of Pails, &c., of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to securing devices for the closures of wooden pails, and more particularly to that type of such devices which includes a wire extending across the top of the closure.

It is one aim of the invention to provide a securing device of the class described, the securing element of which will consist of but a single strand of wire, soconnected with the body of the package and twisted as to securely clamp the cover of the package in place. In this respect, the securing device comprising the present invention, presents an advantage over one in which the securing element is in the nature of two or more strands of wire, which must be fastened with care at both of their ends, and which are be twisted together at their middle portions. In the use of but a single strand of wire, no great care need be exercised by the one sealing the pail, and not only is a more secure fastening provided, but should a wire break while being applied or while in transit from one shipping point to another a new wire can be more readily applied to the package than where the ends of the wires are initially permanently secured in some manner to the body of the package.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a securing device of the type mentioned, so constructed that the securing wire may be housed within the package in such position as not to interfere with nesting of the packages.

A further aim. of the invention is to provide a securing device of the type mentioned which may be manufactured at a low cost and readily applied.

I A further aim of the invention is to provide a securing device of the type mentioned which will be substantial and which cannot be removed by unauthorized persons after the package has been scaled Without the wire moval or of its having been tampered with will be obvious.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention applied to a pail. Fig. 2 is a similar view, but illustrating the initial condition of the securing device and before the application of the cover to the pail. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a vertical sectional view on the line 4 1. of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective view, illustrating the securing wire removed from the pail but bent as if in secur ing condition. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2, illustrating another embodiment of the invention. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating the structure shown in Fig. '6, the securing wire having been tied. Fig. 8 is a perspective View, illustrating the manner in which the securing wire is to be fastened to the hoop of the pail. Fig. 9 is a. view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating another embodiment of the invention. Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 8, illustrating another manner of securing the wire. Fig. 11 is a View similar to Fig. 4, illustrating a modified form of anchoring means for securing the wire. Fig. 12 is a similar view, illustrating another form of anchoring means.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a pail which may be of any of the ordinary kinds, and 2 the cover therefor, the cover being rabbeted at its periphery, as at 3, so as to partly fit within the mouth of the pail. The staves of the pail are bound by the usual hoops, the uppermost one of which is indicated by the numeral l. In that form of the'invention shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the hoop 4 is provided with loops 5 formed by striking-out the material of the hoop between upper and lower incisions made therein, the said loops being substantially horizontally disposed. The invention contemplates that four of the loops 5 shall be formed in the hoop 4:, these loops being preferably arranged in pairs at the opposite sides of the hoop, although, if found desirable, they may be equidistantly spaced about the hoop.

lhe securingelement of the dev ce 15 in the nature of a single strand of wire 6, and in the form of the invention shown in the said Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, this wire is first threaded at its ends upwardly through the loops 5, at one side of the pail, and thence threaded downwardly at its ends through the corresponding loops at the other side of the pail, the ends of the wire being brought together and twisted, or otherwise secured, as indicated at 7 When the wire has been thus applied, a portion of the wire will lie against the hoop 1 at one side of the pail, and the united end portions of the wire will lie against the hoop at the other side of the pail, the other portions of the wire hanging loosely within the pail, as shown in F ig.-2. It is in this condition that the pail is placed upon the market, andit will be apparent that, inasmuch as the looped portions of the wire, indicated at 8, depend within the pail, a number of the pails may be nested without interference on the part of the wire, and without likelihood of the bottom of a nested pail injuring or breaking the wire of the pail in which it is nested.

WVhen the pail is to be packed, the loops 8 are thrown to either side of the pail body, and the cover 2 is then fitted to the pail by being disposed upon the top thereof in the usual manner. The loops 8 are then brought over the top of the cover 2, and a suitable instrument, such as a small bar or rod is inserted between the overlapped intermediate portions of the loops and turned so as to twist these portions of the loops together, as indicated at 9, this twisting operation being, of course, continued until the wire has been placed under such tension as to securely hold the cover 2 in place.

From the foregoing description of this form of the invention, it will be apparent that the single strand of wire employed as a securing means, may be securely and readily secured through the loops 5 and without the exercise of any special care, and that not only have I taken advantage of the presence of the hoop 4, at the upper edge of the pail body to provide the necessary anchoring elements for the wire, but by doing so, I have avoided the necessity of forming holes in the body of the pail or providing any expensive and complicated means for permanently securing the portions of the wire, which are to be twisted, together to secure the cover in place. In other words, in the use of my invention it is only necessary to thread the ends of the wire through the loops at one side of the pail and then through the loops at the other side of the pail and unite the ends by twisting, and it is not absolutely necessary that the united ends of the wire should be located exactly midway between the loops of the last-mentioned pail; whereas, if the wire ,were formed in two strands, as has been customarv. it would be necessary to secure both ends of each strand. The united ends of the wire may, of course, serve as ameans for the application of a suitable seal, so that the contents of the pail cannot be tampered with by unauthorized persons.

In that embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, the pail is indicated by the numeral 10 and its cover by the numeral 11, the pail and cover being of the form previously described. The hoop, in this form of the invention, is indicated by the numeral 12 and is provided with loops 13, corresponding to the previously described loops 5. The securing wire is indicated in the figures mentioned by the numeral 1 1-, and in applying the wire, it is first threaded at its ends through the loops at one side of the pail, after which its ends are brought substantially in registration, and the spaced portions of the loop thus formed, are twisted together for a suitable portion of their length, as indicated at 15. The securing wire may be then allowed to lie within the pail, substantially as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, and it will be apparent that the pails may be nested equally as conveniently as when the wire is in the condition shown in Fig. 2. Then it is desired to pack the pail, the securing wire is thrown to one side and the pail is packed and the cover disposed upon its open end. The securing wire is then thrown over the cover of the pail and its ends are threaded downwardly through the other pair of loops 13. After each end of the wire has been threaded downwardly through its respective loop, it is drawn upwardly about the loop and again threaded therethrough, this operation being repeated until the wire has been wrapped the desired number of times about the loop, as at 18. In tying the wire, one of its said ends, for example, that one indicated specifically by the numeral 148, is inserted through the respective one of the loops 13 and is drawn taut until it, the twisted portion 15, and the portion 14*, are in alinement, whereupon the wire is given the required number of turns about the said loop. WVhen the other end of the wire, indicated specifically by the numeral 14, has been threaded through its respective loop, it is pulled until the branches from the twisted portion 15 are in the relative positions shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings, whereupon the said end 14" is wrapped the desired number of times end portions of the wire are threaded through and about the loops 13, the edges of the struck-out portions, forming the loops, will bite into the bends in the wire, thereby insuring against backward slipping of the wire. By reference to the said Figs. 6 and 7, it will be observed that the twisted intermediate portion 15 of the sealing wire is formed between its ends with an eye 15 into which may be inserted a nail or the like for the purpose of further twisting the wire should the same be found to be loose after its ends have been threaded through the loops 13, in the manner above stated.

If desired, instead of drawing the ends of the wire toward each other and uniting them, as at 16, between the loops about which they are wrapped, the said end portions of the wire may be severed, if desired, as indicated by the numeral 19 in Fig. 10 of the drawings, its severed end being pressed back to lie against the hoop 12 at one end of the loop 13. Also, if desired, the said loop 13, when stamped out, may have its upper and lower edges slightly overturned, as indicated by the numeral 20 in the said Fig. 10, so as to facilitate the drawing of the wire through the loop, as it is tightened.

In that form of the invention shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings, the securing wire is applied to a pail of a type different from that previously described. In this figure, the pail is indicated by the numeral 21 and may or may not be provided with a hoop at its upper end. Staples 22 of any ordinary form are driven into the pail at diametrically opposite sides, and serve for the connections of the ends of a handle 23, and similar staples 2 1 are driven into the pail one adjacent each of the first mentioned staples. The securing wire, in this figure, is indicated at 25, and is threaded through the loops formed by the staples in the same manner as in Fig. 1, eX- cept that the terminals of the wires are bent to form interlocking eyes 26.

In the event that the pail, or the like, is not provided with a hoop, corresponding to the hoop 4, an anchoring member, such as shown in Fig. 11 or Fig. 12, may be employed. The member shown in Fig. 11 is in the nature of a wire staple 27 which is'driven through the body of the pail and has a hooked end 28 with which may be engaged the sealing wire. The anchoring member shown in Fig. 12 is also in the nature of a wire staple, indicated by the numeral 29, and in this structure, the staple has a downwardly projecting outer end forming a hook 30 with which may be engaged the said sealing wire.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a'

fastening device for the covers of pails comprising an endless wire loop and sets of anchoring elements engageable with the loop at opposite sides thereof and constructed to be secured to the wall of the pail whereby opposite portions of the loop will extend between the anchoring elements of each set and the remaining portions of the loop will extend between corresponding ones of the said sets of anchoring elements, the last mentioned portions of the loop being continuous and free from obstructions whereby they may be twisted together above the cover for the pail.

2. The combination with a pail, of a fasening device for the cover thereof comprising an endless wire loop having opposite portions secured to the wall of the pail at spaced points and extending around the wall between the said points of attachment, the sides of the loop extending above the open top of the pail and being of a length greater than the distance between the corresponding points of attachment of the loop to the pail, whereby the said portions may be brought together above the cover for the pail and united.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a container and a cover therefor, of anchoring elements carried by the container and arranged a pair at each side of the wall thereof, and a fastening means for the cover comprising a single length of wire engaged with the anchoring element of one pair and having a portion extending circumferentially of r the container between the said elements of the said pair, the wire being engaged with the elements of the other pair and having its end portions extending circumferentially of the container between the said elements and united, the portions of the wire which extend above the cover for the container being twisted together.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JESSE H. BERRY. a 8.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM MULHOLLAND, LoUIs W. BRANDAW.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

